Data from: Genetic architecture of adaptation to novel environmental conditions in a predominantly selfing allopolyploid plant

Genetic architecture of adaptation is traditionally studied in the context of local adaptation, viz. spatially varying conditions experienced by the species. However, human made changes in the natural environment pose a new context to this issue, i.e. adaptation to an environment that is new for the species. In this study, we used crossbreeding to analyze genetic architecture of adaptation to conditions not currently experienced by the species but with high probability of encounter in the near future due to the global climate change. We performed targeted inter-population crossing using genotypes from two core and two peripheral Triticum dicoccoides populations and grew up the parents and three generations of hybrids in a greenhouse under simulated desert conditions to analyze the genetic architecture of adaptation to these conditions and an effect of gene flow from plants having different origin. The observed in allopolyploid T. dicoccoides low importance of epistatic gene interactions and low probability of hybrid breakdown appear to be the result of permanent fixation of heterozygosity and lack of inter-genomic recombination in this species. At the same time, predominant but not complete selfing combined with an advantage of bivalent pairing of homologous chromosomes appear to maintain high genetic variability in T. dicoccoides, greatly enhancing its adaptive ability.